Leaders Liverpool were given a lickin' at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

Gareth Southgate's glorious winner may have come as the result of a Liverpool boob, but Steve McClaren's men were full value for the three points.

What's more, Boro were the better side. They played the quality football and they dominated the middle of the park.

It's a clear sign of how far Boro have come when you can say without fear of contradiction - except possibly from Gerard Houllier - that they outplayed the previously unbeaten top dogs.

In the past, Boro have recorded many successes over the big clubs. But they've done it by outbattling their opponents.

Now Boro have reached a new level. They've got so much ability in the team that they can outplay teams like Liverpool on their day.

As a result, Boro have proved that they are a force to be reckoned with in the Premiership. Maybe they really are on the verge of something big.

Europe is a word which keeps cropping up, but the next step is to find the consistency to ensure that Saturday's performance becomes the norm, rather than the exception.

The one area of the team which has made this improvement possible is the Boro midfield. We've known for some time that the defence was solid, but now Boro have an engine room which can match the best.

Let's not forget that Liverpool had an extra man in midfield on Saturday. But Boro bossed it.

The signings of George Boateng and Geremi have been massive, but maybe the emergence of Jon Greening as a player of true quality may be the single biggest difference.

Greening was absolutely magnificent against Liverpool. He won tackles, covered and got forward at every opportunity, setting up six or seven half-chances.

He was the best midfielder on the pitch by a mile, despite the fact that Liverpool were fielding five internationals across the middle of the park, including England trio Steven Gerrard, Emile Heskey and Danny Murphy.

While Greening was obvious choice for man of the match, he was pushed all the way by Tony Vidmar.

The Aussie was drafted in for only his second Premiership appearance in place of the suspended Franck Queudrue, and did a great job, particularly with his overlapping and crossing into the box.

Now there will be no easy way back into the team for Queudrue at Chelsea next Saturday.

The only area in which Boro failed to make a great deal of impact was up front.

The Liverpool back line was awesome at times, despite Boro throwing everything at them, particularly in the second half.

Massimo Maccarone and Szilard Nemeth endured another difficult afternoon because they weren't allowed any space in which to play.

Neither player has scored since September, and this must be a cause of some concern.

The team cannot continue to rely on the defenders and midfielders to score the goals. There must be a contribution from the forwards as well.

It's fair comment to stress that both players have relatively little Premiership experience, but they must learn quickly.

Fortunately Maccarone in particular has shown that his confidence remains high, especially following his fine showing at Newcastle.

In fact the victory has restored overall team self belief and put Boro back in the top six. Can't be bad.